Adrian College awarded $1 million grant

ADRIAN — Adrian College has been awarded $1 million to help pay for renovations to buildings housing science and business classrooms.

The grant from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation of Midland was announced by college president Jeffrey Docking in a news release issued Christmas Day.

The grant will aid in underwriting a $12 million dollar renovation to Peelle and Jones halls, which house the science and business classes for the college.

“Gifts like this one, from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, have a resounding impact at Adrian College,” Docking said in the news release. “We are grateful for the support that it will provide in our continued commitment to build state-of-the- art-facilities and offering superior academic opportunities for our students.”

The renovations to Peelle Hall will create research, teaching and conference spaces in support of the college’s science and mathematics programs. The project will also provide new facilities for the disciplines housed in Jones Hall, including business administration and accountancy, history, political science and economics.

The new Adrian College graduate programs in industrial chemistry and accounting will also be supported by the construction and renovation of these buildings.

Herbert Dow founded the Dow Chemical Co. in Midland in 1897. He died in 1930, and his wife, Grace, created the foundation in 1936. The foundation supports educational, religious, scientific, literary or charitable organizations in Michigan, according to its website.

The college expects to break ground on the project in the spring of 2013, according to the news release.